7 Questions: Unsung Hero

An American Vice-Consul stationed in Marseilles, France in 1940, Hiram (Harry) Bingham IV defied U.S. policy and issued false life-saving visas for thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazis, among them Marc Chagall, Max Ernst and the family of the writer Thomas Mann.

Even after Washington lost patience with him and shuffled him off to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941, Bingham continued to annoy his superiors by reporting on the movements of Nazis there. Eventually, he was forced out of the American diplomatic service.

Because he went against U.S. policy, he never received national credit, and because he was a man of action and not of words, his story went with him when he died in 1988. That is until his son, Robert Kim Bingham Sr., 67, discovered some of his father’s documents hidden in the family farmhouse in Salem, Connecticut, and embarked on a journey to bring his father’s heroic story to light.

Q1: Describe the drama of discovering your father’s documents.

In 1996, eight years after my father’s death, my mom, a few of my 10 siblings and I started finding documents at the farmhouse in Salem. There were letters, visa papers, and photos from my father’s time in Marseilles. Until then, our family was aware that he had a hand in the rescue of a handful of luminaries, but we had no idea of the scope of his activity, that he was sought out by thousands of people who went to him for their one last chance to live.

We had no idea that he was sought out by thousands of people who went to him for their one last chance to live.

We found out that in addition to issuing false visas, he sheltered Jews in his home in Marseilles and worked with the French underground to smuggle Jews out of France into Spain, or across the Mediterranean. He even contributed to their expenses out of his own pocket. I have heard estimates that he saved anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 people.

About five years ago, we found a letter to him from Leon Feuchtwanger, an anti-Nazi writer, thanking my father for hiding him and his wife Marta in my father’s residence for some six weeks while my father prepared a false visa for him under the name of ‘Wet Cheek’. Feuchtwanger had written the letter while on board the Excalibur, heading to New York City, and signed it ‘Mr. Wet Cheek’.

My mother and brother, Thomas, sent some of the Marseilles documents to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, and to Eric Saul, curator of the Visas for Life: The Righteous and Honorable Diplomats Project and the Jewish Rescuers Project, who should really be credited with bringing my father’s story to life.

Q2: How did the remembrance project get started?

In 1998 I went to Israel, on the 50th anniversary of the country, as part of a mission of diplomat children. I was very moved when I saw the exhibit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. My father had been singled out for special honor. It was the first time I was really struck by what he had done.

There were many people who were so grateful to him for what he did during the early days of the nightmare of the Holocaust, and many people stepped forward to tell me so. We heard wonderful stories in different parts of the country of righteous gentiles, and it was as though it was my father’s turn to be recognized. That trip to Israel is what triggered my whole incentive to go forward with the remembrance project.

Q3: What is the remembrance project?

The unveiling of postage stamps in honor of righteous diplomats at Yad Vashem gave me the idea to petition our own government to issue a stamp in honor of my father. I started a stamp drive in December, 1998, and in May, 2006, a stamp in honor of Harry Bingham IV was finally minted.

Forty representatives of government and 40 U.S. senators forwarded their support for the stamp to the Postmaster General. We had the entire legislature of Connecticut supporting the drive. It was a thrilling bipartisan experience for me.

For over 50 years, the U.S. State Department resisted any attempts to honor my father. To them, he was an insubordinate member of the U.S. diplomatic service.

At the same time, my father didn’t reveal any details. It was typical of diplomatic families that we traveled with that the fathers did not bring to light their activities to their children. I guess because it was such a terrible period and the memories must have been overwhelmingly negative, perhaps because of those they could not rescue.

Our family thought he deserved to be honored; he put humanity above his career.

For me personally, as a former government employee in the U.S. -- I retired in July after 41 years of service as Inside Counsel to the Department of Homeland Security -- it impressed upon me what my father had done.

He came from a long and illustrious line of risk-takers. His father, Hiram Bingham III -- on whom the Hollywood character Indiana Jones is based -- discovered the ruins of the Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru in 1911.

My father was a deeply religious man who saw his role as saving lives during that nightmare. He felt tremendous compassion for human beings and that each person had a spark of divinity.

Jacques Bodner's visa issued by Hiram Bingham IV on Feb. 27, 1940

Q6: What is one of your fondest memories of your father?

He taught all of his 11 children that we should live according to the golden rule. One instance that made a deep impression on me goes way back to when I was six years old. We used to go to the beach in Connecticut, near an amusement park called Ocean Beach.

We were walking along the sand and snuck into the park without paying the three-cent ‘pedestrian fee’. When he found out he was very angry with us. It’s one of many examples of my father’s deep moral fiber.

Of course I loved my father. He was a wonderful father and we all adored him.

Q7: Is your father finally getting the recognition he deserves?

Besides the stamp, the State Department made a 180-degree turn in 2002 and Colin Powell invited our family to Washington to present us with a posthumous ‘Constructive Dissent’ award in my father’s honor. I was happy about that. He has also been honored by the United Nations and by the State of Israel. Yad Vashem opened an exhibit in his honor called ‘Harry’s Wall’.

But more than these things are the people who continue to come forward and tell us that our father saved their family. During the stamp drive, one 85-year-old lady told us that she and her sister were just teens when they got visas from my father.

Last October, one of my daughter's professors at Harvard, the Dean of the Literature College, originally from Austria, told her that her grandfather had saved his family. The two of them cried together. It is very emotional. He is alive today because of my father. When we hear these stories, it comes very close to home.

Visitor Comments: 15

(15)
Anonymous,
March 19, 2010 2:45 PM

Some in denial of "Harry's" good deed

WIth all the rewards that was granted to him and his family from Washington, that verifies the claims. Washington wouldn't of done that if there wasn't proof. This is in history now, verified by the Goverment. What is your motive to discredit this? Do you not know what Hitler did to those who were helping the Jews? And how could he had been a Holocaust denial, when he actually saw all of it? Get real!

(14)
anonymous,
March 11, 2010 10:26 PM

Q5 states, "What drove your father to take such risks?" Precisely, what
risks did Bingham take? No question that he went against State Dept
policy. No question that he was sympathetic toward Jews in 1940. I
applaud him for doing his job...and then some. But as a neutral with
diplomatic immunity, did he ever really put his life in danger? And how
much of the famiily's claims can be verified? This is not as
straighforward as some believe. And his supporters ignore the fact that
Bingham became a raving antisemite and dabbled in Holocaust denial after
the war. Good balanced article:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2005/01/27/history-ponders-the-heroism-of-bingham.print

(13)
Anonymous,
March 11, 2010 5:46 PM

Excellent and very important to remember Mr. Bingham.

This is a really important bit opf information and should be widely circolated.

(12)
Anonymous,
March 10, 2010 9:21 PM

peoplle should take a lesson from Jenny Hazan but more so from the man that did so much for innocent people who are no longer with the living. The article was well written . It is important to bring articles such as this to the attention of children of today to make them kmow what went on in those terrible years. Kudos for the article.

(11)
Anonymous,
March 10, 2010 4:13 PM

Righteous Gentile

Harry Bingham is an example of a Righteous Gentile. Not just because he helped the Jews, but because he did this in secret, he wasn't doing it for fame or money or for show. He understood how to be a co-laborer with G-d and his covenant, not against it. What he did, 4 generations of his will be blessed because of his love for G-d.

(10)
,
March 9, 2010 9:08 AM

I love this stuff, too!

Thank you for letting us know about another unsung hero!
These heroes were humble, and never bragged about their deeds; many of them had to bear the shame and hardship of getting kicked out of their jobs, and never were rehabilitated in their lifetimes! But, they usually have a common trait; a deep faith and love for G-d, and the knowledge that they can´t ignore the plight of the Jews and retain a clean conscience. They are truly righteous Gentiles, and examples for the rest of us! Thanks again, and Am Yisrael Chai!

(9)
Pleasant,
March 9, 2010 3:56 AM

I love this stuff!

Since learning the more realistic gore of the holocaust in my teen years, I love that more and more of these heroic stories are coming forward to balance the very real and scary facts with the stories of those who risked all to spare lives. Thank you for this article.

(8)
Halli,
March 9, 2010 1:34 AM

Varian Fry's book

Varian Fry wrote of Harry Bingham in his book about the time when both were working desperately to smuggle people out. Both wonderful, courageous men.

(7)
Anonymous,
March 8, 2010 2:38 AM

thanks. Jenny. I enjoyed the article very much.

(6)
Beverly Kurtin,
March 8, 2010 12:01 AM

Ocean Beach

Oy! I used to live in Groton and New London, Connecticut and used to hang out at Ocean Beach at about the same time as his son used to go to the beach. Small world.

(5)
Anonymous,
March 7, 2010 10:46 PM

Incredible story of Courage

Mr. Bingham's story is absolutely incredible. What goes unnoticed that FDR had many anti-semites within his administration, as well in the State Department. The sad thing is so many Jewish people placed their faith in him. When it came to rescue Jews, he was quite silent. FDR's acts were appalling.

(4)
awraham harel,
March 7, 2010 10:30 PM

Hiram Bingham IV is one of the righteous of the nations

thanks for this important article, because we all must learn from Hiram Bingham IV. The holiness of life. To save life. The point is not the US-administration, but the courage of this good man for the right matter. In the right time. He is a great model.

(3)
Anonymous,
March 7, 2010 9:48 PM

Interesting and inspiring account

Thank you - a very interesting and inspiring story of Hiram Bingham. Your article mentions that Hiram had a "deep moral fiber" which must have been part of the equation of why he risked his career if not life to save thousands of people from certain doom. Why do some people have that gift and others like the Nazis have absolutely no such dimension to their lives, souls? A brief biography on Hiram relates that though a Christian, he had a profound interest in eastern religious philosophy, and "Until the end of his life he searched for ways to reconcile these eastern philosophies and his own upbringing in the Christian tradition". We all can be grateful for such luminaries as Hiram Bingham in the world.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...